Banjo rim



Dec. 18, 1928.

A. D. GROVER BANJO RIM Filed Nov. 25, 1925 Patented Dec. 18, 1928.

UNirEn stares ALBERT D. GnovER, or LONG ISLAND CITY, NEW YORK.

' Application led November This invention-relates to stringed musicalinstruments" and 'has' reference particularly to certain 'improvements'in banjol construction.'v f= if' I -The objects of m'yinventionare:first to provide a one piece metal rim and resonatorjorining' thebodyfof the instrument, by'the'fSe fwhereo'f'the other objects of theinvention are accomplished; second, to ar- 10 range -substantially allthe head'tightening elements insidei-the'rim', sothat there arenofprotrudi'ng :straining hooks, nuts, etc., i to,A marthe"srnoothattractive'outside appear- "ance'f"the".i'ii'r,""hd,"thi-rdfto affordan 16 efficient means gconnectigthefrim to the neelfeffheibja! r aecompiishwhese bject 1by means, o;thermechanisms illustrative iImpiiiedi-iwthe accompanying dr wings, inwhich:

Figure 1 is a planmview of my improved banjo showing the rim and afragment of the arm; Figure 2 is a substantially longitudinal sectionalView taken on line 2 2 of Figure l; Figure 3 is a sectional view of the25 rim and neck connecting means taken on line 3 3 of Figure 2; Figure 4is a section of the rim taken on line 4 4 of Figure 1;

and Figure 5 is a similar view taken on line 5 5 of Figure 1. 3 Brieystated the present invention comprises a body portion for a banjo or thelike, formed of a single piece of sheet metal, and comprising a baserim', intermediate annular ange and head supporting' rim section havinga closed concave shaped end adapted to form a resonator. The flange isprovided with openings to accommodate the head tightening means and toallow egress of sound from the resonance chamber between the head andresonator. A neck is connected to the base rim by fastening means, whichinclude a metal bar embedded in the head of the neck and a screwadjustable in the bar and against the inside of the base section. Theusual flexible head portion is stretched over the supporting rim andheld taut by means of hoops and straining screws which project throughfurther openings in the annular ange and carry nuts adjustable over thescrews and against the under surface of the flange.

It has been found that an instrument of this character produces veryloud, sharp tones a condition which is very desirable in this class ofbanjo and because of the great simplicity of construction and mini-BANJO RII/I.

25, 1925. serial No. 71,487.

the houd l0. f-At. its upper end the rim-'11 is spun to form a curvededge 13 which isjn.- tegrnl with a concave-shapedbowl-'or|.reso natorA14 closing'the upper face ofi'the rim,-as clearly illustratedinFigureQ.: -.baserim 15 is spun from the outer peripheryof flange 12and comprises an' annular4 portiommpploximately concentric with'and'paralleltouthe upper rim 11; The reeforf-lowerxend-gof the base rim15 is turned inwardly to form a bead or flange 16, thereby increasingthe strength of the rim and also presenting a. neat appearance. It is tobe noted especially in connection with the rim and resonator justdescribed that the entire unit is spun or stamped from a single blank ofsheet metal.

A neck 17 of any suitable design is attached to the rim by one or morescrew connections 18, each of which projects through an opening 19 inthe wall of the base section 15 and into the heel of the neck 17, andwhich is adjustable. in the threaded opening 20 of a bar 21 disposed inthe heel of the neck, as illustrated clearly in Figures 2 and 3. Thehead of the screw 18 is seated against a washer 22 on the inside surfaceof the base rim section 15. Adjustment of the screw 18 to tighten theconnection will result in the rim and neck being brought95 tightlytogether.

The usual head 10 of parchment'or calfskin is stretched over the turnededge 13 of the upper rim'portion 11 and the marginal periphery of thehead is arranged about a flesh hoop 23, which is held under tension bymeans of a hoop 24 and straining hooks 25, The lower ends of the latterhooks 25 project through openings 26 in the flange 12 and carry nuts 27adjustable against the under surface of the iange to stretch the head 10and keep it taut.

The bar 21 arranged in the neck comprises a rectangular-ly shaped piecewhich is driven into a hole 27 drilled in the heel of the neck 17, andas a consequence, the corners of the bar being of sufiicient dimensions,cut into the wall of the opening 27, and the bar is thus firmly lockedor wedged in position so as to provide a permanent anchor for the screwconnection 18.

Sound is emitted from 'the resonance chamber between the head 10 andresonator 14, through an opening 28 in the center ofY the resonatoritself and' throughfa series of openings 29 in the flange 12, the latteropenings being arranged in the spaces between the straining hookopenings 19.

A suitable tail piece 30 is carried by the flange 12 and provided with aplurality of projecting string fingers 31 in which the strings 32 areanchored at one end, the bodieso the strings being alined over a bridgepiece 33 resting on'the head 10 inthe u'sual manner.

The construction herein described is admirably adapted for what is knownas: a banjo-uke'which-must'of necessity be simple mechanically andcapable-of production at a moderately low price.

' What' I claim is:

`INI-nua banjo,a-.rim and respnator formed from "a' single blank s andcomprising an integral basefrim',iintermediate annular flange,

and head supporting rim having a concave back portion formingafresonator, a n eck for said base rim, and connecting means'for the rimand neck comprising a bar wedged in an opening' in said'neck andhaving athreaded bore disposed parallel with the longitudinal axis of the banjo,and a screw adjustable in saidbore and againstthe inner face of the baserim.

2. In a banjo, an integral rimfand reson` ator formed from a singleblank and corn'- prising upper and lower rim sections of differentdiameters and a concave resonator portion depending inwardly from thelsmaller upper rim section,

3. In a banjo, an integral rim and resonator formed' from a single blankand oomprisng upper and lower rim sections of different diameters, anannular perforated portion between the twov rims and disposed at rightangles'to the rims, and .al concave resonator portion having asmall1center open# ing and depending: inwardly. 4from the smallerv upper rimsection. A* i .r.

AIn testimonywhereof I i

